The invention relates to a navigation computer which is intended for a motor vehicle and has a gyroscope attached to a housing wall. The gyroscope is arranged in an adjustable separate housing and is aligned in a horizontal installation position in order to determine a vehicle rotation about its vertical axis.
Navigation computers with gyroscopes are being used increasingly in modern high-end motor vehicles, because they facilitate orientation in unknown areas. Such navigation computers are usually located in installation shafts on the dashboard. These installation shafts have different angular positions in different makes and vehicle models. The gyroscope, also termed a rate-of-rotation sensor, must always be horizontally aligned. Consequently when mounting the gyroscope on the housing wall of the navigation computer it is necessary to take account of the angular position of the installation shaft. The specialized mounting of the gyroscope constitutes a substantial outlay in terms of production engineering and limits the use of the navigation computer to one model of vehicle. In order to facilitate uniform production, it would be desirable to be able to use a gyroscope device which is always identical for differently inclined installation shafts.
Thus, there is a need for a navigation computer, intended for a motor vehicle which can be adapted with the lowest possible resource outlay to differently inclined installation shafts.
The present invention is embodied in a gyroscope housing arranged in the housing wall of a navigation computer such that the angle of the gyroscope can be adjusted.
Owing to this angular adjustibility according to the invention, it is possible when installing the navigation computer to set the angular position of the housing of the gyroscope such that the gyroscope is aligned exactly horizontal in the final installed state of the navigation computer.
The angular adjustability can be achieved without a tool when the housing of the gyroscope has two mutually opposite spring tongues which are directed upward and simultaneously radially outward from the top of the gyroscope, and the housing wall has a holder with two opposite passages for pushing through the spring tongues. The housing wall has a rotary member in the shape of a circular arc as bearing surface for the spring tongues adjacent in each case to the passages. In the case of such a refinement of the invention, the means for angular adjustment simultaneously form a holder for the housing of the gyroscope which operates in the manner of a bayonet lock. This configuration allows the angular adjustment and the mounting and dismounting of the housing of the gyroscope without tools. Furthermore, this embodiment permits the angular position of the gyroscope to be set externally without opening the navigation computer.
The housing of the gyroscope can be fixed in several fixed angular positions when the rotary members have several latching indentations for rocking the spring tongues in fixed angular positions of the housing of the gyroscope.
When being inserted into the housing wall, the gyroscope housing is necessarily centered when, in accordance with another development of the invention, the rotary members run conically toward the side of the housing of the gyroscope, and the spring tongues respectively engage with their free end in the latching indentations.
The housing of the gyroscope latches particularly securely in the stampings, but can be rotated in a latching fashion upon appropriate use of force when the latching indentations are of trapezoidal cross section, and the free ends of the spring tongues are arcuately rounded.
The navigation computer is fashioned with particular advantage in terms of production engineering when a spring plate which has the two spring tongues is fastened on the topside of the housing of the gyroscope. Such a spring plate simultaneously forms an electromagnetic shield for the gyroscope.
In addition to the action by the conical rotary members, in accordance with another development of the invention it is possible to achieve a centering action since the top of the gyroscope housing has a central opening with a circular cross section, and the holder has a corresponding centering boss engaged in the circular opening.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are not limiting but are intended to provide further explanation of the invention claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, are included to illustrate and provide a further understanding of the method and system of the invention. Together with the description, the drawings serve to explain the principles of the invention.